Climate Adaptation Planning Framework December 2017 Samish Indian Nation: Adaptation Planning Framework ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1 This project would not have been successful without the combined efforts of the Climate Change Working Group and support of the Samish Indian Tribe Council. The collaborative approach taken by the Samish Indian Nation proved invaluable in evaluating potential climate impacts, and identifying and prioritizing the key areas of concern. With this project, the Samish Indian Nation has created a foundation for on-going climate adaptation planning and made a crucial step towards mainstreaming climate change considerations into its on-going planning and operations. CLIMATE CHANGE WORKING GROUP The group is currently comprised of the following representatives: Leslie Eastwood Tribal member, General Manager Dana Matthews Tribal Council Secretary, Health and Human Services Director Jenna Burnett Tribal Councilmember, Finance Department Jackie Ferry Cultural Director/Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Toby McLeod Tribal member, Natural Resources Department Zam DeShields Planning Director Additional members may be recruited to the group from the Samish Community. Staff support for the Working Group and preparation of this report was provided by Stacy Clauson, Climate Adaptation Assistant. FUNDING This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs under assistance agreement A96AV00016 to the Samish Indian Nation. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation of use. 1 Whale art on cover by Paul Windsor, Haisla Heiltsuk, artist from Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 license. 2 | P a g e Samish Indian Nation: Adaptation Planning Framework TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 8 Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Adaptation Planning ................................................................................................................. 10 Report Organization .................................................................................................................. 11 Step One: Research and Build support ......................................................................................... 12 Overview of the Planning Process ............................................................................................ 12 Approach to Communication and Collaboration ...................................................................... 13 Traditional Ecological Knowledge ............................................................................................. 14 Climate Adaptation Working Group ......................................................................................... 16 Tribal Member Engagement ..................................................................................................... 16 Regional Context ....................................................................................................................... 18 Step Two: Identifying Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities .......................................................... 21 Establish Planning Priorities ...................................................................................................... 21 Explore Hazards to Planning Priorities ...................................................................................... 21 Assess Vulnerability and Risk .................................................................................................... 21 Prioritize Adaptation Action Areas ........................................................................................... 32 Risk and Priority Matrices ..................................................................................................... 32 Priotization Criteria ............................................................................................................... 33 Step Three: Establish Goals and Objectives .................................................................................. 34 Coordination with Seven Generation Vision and Comprehensive Plan ................................... 34 Goals ......................................................................................................................................... 35 Objectives.................................................................................................................................. 36 Step Four: Identify Adaptation Options ........................................................................................ 37 Step Five: Evaluate and Prioritize Adaptation Options ................................................................. 42 Steps Six and Seven: Implement and Monitor.............................................................................. 45 References .................................................................................................................................... 47 Appendix A: Communications Plan .............................................................................................. A-1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................ A-3 Strategy ................................................................................................................................ A-3 Attachments ......................................................................................................................... A-8 3 | P a g e Samish Indian Nation: Adaptation Planning Framework Appendix B: Sample Communications Materials ......................................................................... B-1 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Preliminary Schedule for Adaptation Planning Efforts ................................................... 13 Table 2: Samish Indian Nation Climate Adaptation Working Group Members............................ 16 Table 3: Overview of Climate Adaptation Planning efforts of Tribal Nations in Western Washington ................................................................................................................................... 20 Table 4: Sample Rapid Vulnerability Assessment Table ............................................................... 24 Table 5: Vulnerability Matrix ........................................................................................................ 26 Table 6: Summary of different Vulnerability Assessment tools for different planning areas. ..... 27 Table 7: Risk Matrix ....................................................................................................................... 33 Table 8: Adaptation Action Priorities Matrix ................................................................................ 33 Table 9: Summary of different Adaptation Planning tools for different planning areas. ............ 38 Table 10: Example Adaptation Action Evaluation Framework ..................................................... 44 Table 11: Summary of different sources for performance metrics. ............................................. 46 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Samish Indian Nation Traditional Territory ..................................................................... 9 Figure 2: Climate Change Adaptation Planning Cycle. Adapted from “Quick Guide to Climate- Smart Conservation.” .................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 3: Conceptual graphic depicting approach to communication and collaboration ............ 14 Figure 4: Steps of vulnerability assessment .................................................................................. 22 Figure 5: Model of vulnerability. Adapted from “Scanning the Conservation Horizon – A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment.” ............................................................................ 23 Figure 6: Conceptual Diagram of Samish Tribal Nation Coordinated Planning ............................ 35 4 | P a g e Samish Indian Nation: Adaptation Planning Framework KEY TERMS Adaptation (climate change): Actions in response to actual or expected climate change and its effects, that lessen harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. It includes reducing the vulnerability of people, places, and ecosystems to the impacts of climate change. Adaptation Actions: Actions or activities that the tribe could take to achieve its climate change adaptation or preparedness goals. Adaptation Goals: What the tribe wants to accomplish in the priority planning areas through adaptation or preparedness actions. Adaptive Capacity: The ability of a system to accommodate or respond to the changes in climate with minimum disruption or cost. Generally, systems that have high adaptive capacities are better able to deal with climate change. Climate: The “average weather” generally over a period of three decades. Measures of climate include temperature, precipitation, and wind. Climate Change: Any significant change in measures of climate (such as temperature, precipitation, or wind) lasting for an extended period of time